Hi, all. New to the forum and would appreciate any feedback on the authenticity of this vintage Moon Phase. Many thanks.

 

The movement is a Valjoux 90 which was used by Heuer. But a photo search hasn't turned up a Heuer moonphase with that "Breguet" style of numbers, nor any "pen-nib" hands. The Heuer logo on the dial does not look very well done either. So back of shop looks good, but I am not all confident about the front.

 

Thank you for this feedback -- it's very helpful. I was also having trouble finding any other examples of this type of watch with Breguet style numerals, though I do find them appealing.

 

If you like it -- wear it! It is a very unusual looking piece and to my eyes very interesting.


OTOH:
"It's a fake mate, sorry. Tell you what, I'll take it off your 'ands for a Ton. Can't say fairer than that can I?"

 

Gentleman's, some opinion about this watch? Thanks a lot!!

 

Could be a bargain, could be a money-pit. What I see is that some-one has been inside it to remove the GMT hand and lacked the skill to fix the problem properly. What else may be wrong in there? Autavias are not my expertise, but those hands look very shiny don't they? OTOH the two bezels and the proper bracelet give off good vibes (do people still say that?).

I have arrived home with a watch suspiciously cheap and problems not revealed by the vendor which turned out to be missing parts in the movement. But attention from someone who really knows the Chrono-matic movement (as you have in this Autavia) fixed it up at a final cost that was still a bargain given that it now has a full strip-down service and an internet article about it to boast.

Allowing for a full service and possibly/probably some parts above the price it could be good. It's a gamble. Do you feel lucky?

 

@omginaw it looks like a perfectly legitimate 11630 Autavia GMT to me with correct dial, hands, case and even bracelet.

With the GMT hand and bezel fitted back it will be worth significantly more, and I’m not sure it would cost a great deal to recitify.

 

Thank you for your responses. I will feel lucky when it will be mine!!

The owner is another collector and really a good friend... I've been crazy about that watch for a long time and he knows it and I'm gonna make him an offer he will can't refuse!!

 

Of course, no GMT hand so get a new bezel. Why did the GMT hand (have to?) come off?

I would definitely want to see inside it before committing to an un-refusable offer. Here is the state of my Cal. 11 Hamilton on partial disassembly


Photo by Rich Askham who sorted it out for me. http://thewatchspotblog.com/?p=5107

 

This is certainly good advice, Thank you,

 

Taking a chance can be good. My Hamilton starts its turn for a week on the wrist tomorrow, and I am happy with how things turned out. It was not a planned purchase, but something I saw on eBay and thought "like it!". Just weigh up all the possible factors. Knowing a trustable watchmaker who understands these movements is pretty essential to fix up your misjudgements though.

 

That's a mystery ... My friend bought it that way a long long time ago and he has no idea why the hand was removed. Of course, it is necessary to open it. I do not know when it will be, but I'll take a picture and I'll show you.

 

Just reread my post and I read it as simply fit the GMT hand back! Lol. As you say one would assume there was a reason to remove it, and so by fitting it back I mean get it working and fit it.

Although in this case, even if it didn’t work why remove it? It doesn’t have to move for the watch to work as a normal watch, so was it removed simply for aesthetics and the bezel changed for that reason too? The fact that both have been kept does lean me more towards this thinking honestly, but always should check.

 

I hope you take it to a professional, here is the result of an amateur attempt to open a watch:



No, it wasn't me. This is the watch that came with parts missing -- these scratches should have been a clue when I bought it. When you're ready tell us which continent you are on and someone will be able to suggest a reasonably local repairer with experience of these.

 

Can anyone tell me what is it's value

 

Hi all,
Just came up with this today in my parents' place. I have close to zero knowledge of vintage watches, but comparing with online pics it seems that the hands are not correct and the dial is not 100% accurate. Any chance this could be a genuine 1949 Solunar? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

As I posted on WUS, a number of things make me think it's genuine but a redial with replacement hands. Also definitely needs some TLC. Thanks for posting here - hopefully one of the members with knowledge of vintage Heuers will show up. One more thing do you have a side-on shot of the case?

 

Agree about the hands although they were used on other 1940s Heuers such as the one Jeff Stein posted in OTD today. However I do not see anything to suggest a repainted dial. For a watch that was only in production for a short time before the introduction of the tide + chrono three sub-dial references there is a lot of variation in dial and hands in the photos available.

The good news is that someone cared about it enough to have it serviced and replacing the hands used to be common for a manufacturer service. BTW, the lume on the hands and dial is radium based, and opening it up should only be done by someone with the knowledge about the precautions to take.